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I keep my ducks and chickens together. Both are raised on different feeds and the ducks are kept in dog crates until they are able to have the same food as the chickens. (The place where both animals are kept is really the chicken's coop, but I've adapted it to suit the duck's needs as well.) When they are very young, I raise all hatchlings in my basement and they are kept in the brooder until they feather out.
I wouldn't raise them together in the same brooder. Ducks are messy and create a bad environment for baby chickens, and sometimes they can't handle that lifestyle. Ducklings play with the water and get everything soggy and messy and the brooder has to be cleaned almost constantly. Ducklings are also alot rougher than my chicks, too. IMO.
I have never had a Runner but I hear good things about them. I prefer my Muscovies for their pet-like behavior, hardiness, and egg-laying abilities.
I also like my Call ducks because they're very small, easy to handle, and good fun.
Edit: But I don't think I'd push it with a large drake. My Call drake is very small so I don't worry much, but I hear that large drakes can try to mate with chicken hens and hurt them in the process.
On the subject, most ducks require some sort of large water feature. Another reason I prefer Muscovies: they don't need a large water source for swimming in like other breeds. We did build one eventually (pond) so they'd stop swimming in the chicken's drinking water, and when we got the Call ducks shortly after, I began to notice that the Calls wouldn't have done so well if not for the pond.
We free-range our ducks. But they bunk in with the chickens at night and are not let out in snowy weather.